Aim High on the Food Chain
by Freckled Angel 11
Summary: My first fan fiction! Dean learns the true meaning behind Crowley's words in "Family Matters." It turns out that "aiming high on the food chain" puts a certain angel in real danger. NOT SLASH! Spoiler warning up through 6.07. Kripke gets all the credit!
1. Chapter 1

Aim High On the Food Chain

Dean should have seen it coming. Crowley was trouble. That much was clear the moment he refused to give Bobby's soul back. If only he had known that Sam's soul was also in Crowley's grip when they rescued Bobby's soul. He wouldn't have let the demon's bones out of his sight. Now, he was stuck doing Crowley's dirty work with his soulless brother and secretive grandfather. Their instructions: aim high on the food chain. Crowley wanted them to bring him supernatural creatures, so he could interrogate them about the whereabouts of Purgatory. It's all just too much…how could it possibly get any worse? Dean should know better than to ask that question. Things can always get worse.

For at this very moment he was standing with soulless Sammy and secretive Samuel, and they were all looking at their newest nemesis and awaiting his instructions.

"Well isn't this just delightful?" Crowley says with malice clearly present in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah…just peachy," Dean responds.

Sam rolls his eyes and shuffles impatiently. "What do you want, Crowley?"

"Got some new animal you want added to your collection?" Samuel inquires.

"I do" Crowley smirks and directs his attention toward Dean. "I'm fascinated by your escape from Hell, Dean. It's not every day a soul finds its way out of the fire…as your brother already knows." Soul or no soul, Sam still has the bitch face down to a science and he throws it directly at Crowley.

Dean shakes his head, "How does my escape from Hell have anything to do with this week's featured creature?"

"You didn't get out of the pit alone, Dean. You were…" Crowley pauses and takes time to stare dramatically at the men in the room "…gripped tight and raised from perdition by a certain supernatural thing."

Dean feels his stomach drop. Castiel. Please don't let it be Cas. After all this time, Cas had become his friend…someone he could rely on. Dean could think of plenty of Dicks with wings he would gladly offer up to Crowley, but not Cas.

"Judging by the look on your face, I'd say you've figured it out. You're smarter than you look," Crowley says sarcastically. "Although, I'm surprised Grandpa's fascination with Castiel upon meeting him didn't clue you in."

Dean thinks back to the day when Cas searched for Samuel's soul. Samuel wasn't thrilled about the angel invading his personal space and causing him pain, but he was clearly captivated by the angel's presence. Of course he was. He was staring at one of the most powerful of supernatural beings…an angel that he could offer to Crowley. Dean turns to his grandfather, "And here I thought you might actually be happy to meet him because he helped save me, but you were just seeing something you could offer up to this son of a bitch." He stares directly at Crowley.

"Now, now Dean…calm down. My interest in Castiel is not due to his bond with you. He may just be the best source of where to find Purgatory. Not to mention he's quite the enigma." Crowley begins to circle the men. "I'd like to know more about an angel willing to rebel from heaven, and loose his grace for _humanity_." He speaks the last word with disgust. "I'd like to know what he thinks is so worth while in this pathetic crap hole his _father_ created." He walks menacingly towards Dean, Sam, and their grandfather who are now all standing in a defensive stance. "I want to know just who brought him back to life two times and offered him so much POWER!" Crowley yells.

Sam shakes his head in disbelief, "Cas isn't an archangel. He's powerful, but he's not the highest ranking soldier Heaven has to offer…" he looks at Dean "…is he?"

Crowley answers the question even though it is not directed at him. "Your friend Cas obviously hasn't told you. He's got more power now than he _ever_ had. Why do you think he feels like he needs to solve the "civil war" problem they have going on behind those pearly gates?"

Dean looks at his family and then back at Crowley. "We don't get to see him too often. He's really hard to get a hold of." Dean thinks for a second and then looks back at Crowley. "Cas may not tell us everything that is going on with him, but that doesn't make him any less of a friend. And if you think we are going to betray him and bring him to YOU for questioning…you really are a stupid bastard."

"Fine. Don't bring the angel to me. I'll just have some fun with Sammy boy's soul, and he'll never be the brother you want him to be ever again. Or, if I'm angry enough, I'll toss him back in the cage."

Dean immediately flinches at the demon's words. How was he supposed to make a decision? No matter what he decided…he was bound to lose. Crowley came out on top each time.

Samuel is the next to speak up. "There must be another celestial douche bag you want to get your hands on. You can't ask the boys to betray their friend."

"Well, you had your chance to take him down without their involvement…and you didn't do it." Crowley looks at Sam and Dean then back to Samuel "That's right boys, Gramps could have taken him down in his office…ask the grandkids to step outside, light some holy oil, but he didn't. So, I decided it should to be a team effort."

The Campbell patriarch looked at his grandsons. Sam stood emotionless…unsure of how to react to the demon holding his soul for ransom. Dean looked exhausted. Samuel knew that Dean had to be disappointed in him, but Crowley had them between a rock and a hard place.

"Here's your chance to get back Sam's soul once and for all, gentleman." Crowley said all too pleased with himself. "You bring me one renegade angel…_without _warning him of my plan, and I'll give Sam his precious soul back." Crowley turns and starts walking in the other direction. "You have 24 hours to bring Castiel to me. I'll be in touch about where you'll need to drop him off."

"Wait!" Dean shouted at the demon, but he was too late. Crowley had already disappeared. "Son of a Bitch!"

"I'm sorry Dean." Sam says to his brother.

Dean responds by looking at Sam unwilling to believe the words that come out of his mouth. "Oh really? You're sorry? Do you even know what that feels like?" Dean shouts while stepping so that he is face to face with his brother. He hopes that maybe he'll see some sign that his brother really cares, but all he sees is coldness within his eyes.

"Dean…" Samuel Campbell pulls Dean's attention away from his younger brother. "We'll think of something."

"Think of something?" Dean repeats angrily. "What are we supposed to do? We hand over Cas, and we loose a valuable asset to the fight against all things evil…not to mention a friend. If we don't hand over Cas, Sam stays a freggin' robot…or worse, Crowley will throw him back to Lucy! What exactly do you think we can do?"

Samuel lets out a long, defeated sigh. "I don't know, but we're not making any moves until we have exhausted ANY other possibilities."

* * *

As Castiel sits exhausted after another battle amongst his brothers, he couldn't help but feel something was wrong with his charge. He couldn't explain it, but somehow he knew that something was wrong with Dean Winchester. Try as he might, Castiel could not abandon the stubborn human. Between the insults, sarcastic remarks, and incomprehensible comments, Castiel saw had managed to discover tell tale signs of a good man and an even better friend. No…something was definitely wrong, and Castiel was determined to find his charge and lend a helping hand.

* * *

**A.N. Uh oh...what will happen next? Remember, this is my first fan fiction story...so feel free to review if you have any suggestions. Chapter 2 is soon to follow!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**As always, Supernatural and its characters belong to Eric Kripke and the CW**

"Come on Bobby, you're not helping." Dean called Bobby hoping that he could offer up some advice. Instead, Dean got an ear full from the man that was more like a father than John Winchester ever was.

"I'm sorry Dean, but how am I supposed to react?" the older hunter inquires. "First, you tell me that you're Crowley's bitch due to the fact that he has a hold of your brother's soul…which I can relate to by the way. Then, you tell me that he wants you to betray the best ally the supernatural could offer to us? That's like handing over a Jewish guy to Hitler…it won't end well!"

"Why do you think I called you? I thought maybe you had more ideas about how to take Crowley down. You did it once; maybe you can do it again." Dean said hopefully.

"Hell, Dean…burning Crowley's human remains was a long shot. It took me the better part of a year to find _that _little piece of information. What am I supposed to come up with in _less than _24 hours?"

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose while listening to his friend over the phone. He knew Bobby was right. They were short on time, but he had to at least call and ask if there was anything else Bobby turned up on the demon. "I know Bobby. I just…." Dean broke off, unsure of what else to say.

"Listen, Dean…I don't mean to kick you while you're down. I just don't think I can help you with this." Bobby closed his eyes and took a deep breath "But that doesn't mean I won't do some digging just in case. I'll go over my notes on Crowley. In the mean time, why don't you call Cas? Be honest with him. Tell him what Crowley wants, and maybe he can offer a solu…"

Dean immediately cut him off "NO! Bobby…Crowley warned us not to let Cas know what's happening. If we make him angry he's going to throw Sam back in the cage with Lucifer. Unfortunately, telling Cas the truth is not an option."

Bobby shook his head. "Then I suggest we quit gabbing so I can get to work."

"Thanks, Bobby. I'll be in touch"

"Dean!" Bobby called before Dean could hang up. "Be careful ya hear me?"

"I will. Thanks Bobby." No sooner had Dean hung up the phone with Bobby, before he heard the sound of rustling wings behind him.

"Dean…what's wrong?" Castiel asked the hunter as he turned around.

The older Winchester didn't have a clue as to what he was supposed to say. He just stared at the angel with a blank expression on his face. His mouth opened and closed like a fish while he was trying to think of something to say. "What? I…uh….huh? I don't know what you mean? Why are you here? Don't have an angelic civil war to deal with?"

Castiel tilted his head slightly at Dean's reaction to his arrival. He half expected Dean to tell him he should have been there sooner. Instead, Dean was acting as if he didn't want him there at all. Cas approached Dean and said "I finished a battle in heaven when I felt as though you were in distress. I feel it now as well. I know something is wrong Dean…there is no point in lying."

_Crap! Now what?_ Dean thought. _Lie…I have to lie. If I tell him the truth, then Sammy is a goner for sure! _He had to think fast. "It's Sam." Dean blurted out. "He told me the truth about what he was feeling…or not feeling that is."

"What do you mean?"

"He told me he doesn't care about me, nor does he care about what happens to Lisa or Ben. He even said he wanted to hurt me…the only good thing is that he knows it's not right for him to not care." Dean revealed. It wasn't all a lie. Sam did tell him those things. Which is all the more reason why Dean wanted to get Sam's soul back, but not by turning in Cas.

Cas still felt as if Dean wasn't being completely honest, but he let it drop. If he had learned one thing about Dean Winchester, it was that he didn't understand most of what the man was trying to say. "I understand your concern for your brother. Many of my own brothers are wayward these days."

Dean swallowed hard. What was he supposed to do? Push him away. He had to push Cas away…get him out of there before he involved himself more. "YOUR PROBLEMS ARE NOT ANYTHING LIKE MINE!" Dean yelled. "If your brothers are so terrible, then why don't you worry about them? If I want your help, then I'll ask for it! Now get out of here! Just...LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Cas could tell that Dean's behavior was not right. Something was still wrong…he was overreacting to his presence. Was he doing that on purpose? "Dean…" Cas began.

"Just go…please." Dean pleaded as he turned his back to the angel.

Cas took a good look at his charge. Dean was deeply troubled, and he looked totally exhausted. "You look worn Dean. Perhaps you need some rest. I'll go. If you wish it, I'll offer my assistance when you awaken."

Just as soon as he came, Cas was gone. Dean closed his eyes and held his head in his hands. He collapsed onto his bed in the latest motel room he and Sam checked into. Of course Sam wasn't tired…he didn't need sleep. He and Samuel left to get some books from Samuel's headquarters. Cas was right. He was extremely tired, but he refused to fall asleep. There was too much on his mind. He was still holding his aching head in his hands when he heard another familiar voice pop into his room.

"How sweet," Crowley purred as he made his presence known. "Your feathered friend was concerned about you." Crowley then turned cold. "And you made him leave. Call me crazy, but isn't that the OPPOSITE of what I asked you to do?"

Dean hated being yelled at, especially by a demon…too many bad memories. He jumped up faced Crowley. "I wasn't exactly expecting him to drop by. I needed him to leave before I told him too much. YOU didn't want him to know, remember? I don't really have a plan here…besides you haven't given us a drop-off point yet!"

Just then, Sam and their grandfather came back in the room.

"I thought I smelled something foul." Samuel remarks.

"It's good to see you too sweetheart." Crowley answers.

Sam's impatience once again comes to the surface. "Get to the point soul snatcher."

"Ooh…good one. I'm here to make sure Dean is still following the rules. He had a certain trench-coat-wearing visitor while you were gone. I was concerned that he had forgotten our rules after he told him to leave."

Both Samuels exchange looks. "Had you told him the drop point yet?" Samuel Campbell asks.

"No. But if you just throw away another opportunity, Sam will go right back to the frying pan!" Crowley glares at the hunters. He directs his attention back to Dean as a smirk once again appears on his face. "You remember the barn where you and Castiel first met? The barn where you and Singer summoned him?"

"Yeah…" Dean answers. "Don't tell me that's where you want us to…"

"surrender him to me?" Crowley finishes. "Yes. It is."

"That's at least 12 hours away!" Sam argues.

"That puts us there with only a few hours to spare." Samuel adds.

"Then I suggest you get moving!" Crowley answers.

"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Dean inquires. "Last I heard, Demons weren't as powerful as angels. Just exactly how do you plan on keeping him from killing you on the spot? You said it yourself. He has more power now than he's had ever before."

Crowley smiles wickedly, "That's for me to know, and you NOT to find out." Just like that, Crowley was gone.

"Damn it!" Dean yells.

"Dean…" Sam gets his brother's attention. "We should get moving. Maybe we can think of something along the way to Illinois."

Samuel added, "We grabbed some textbooks from my office. I don't know if there is anything useful, but we can check it out on the ride there."

Dean hung his head and took a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm actually going through with this. Don't get me wrong…I want Sammy's soul back in tact, but I never wanted to get it like this."

"I know son, but we can't give up yet." Samuel puts a hand on Dean's shoulder and gives a slight squeeze hoping it will give some comfort.

Sam knew he should say something, but he was coming up blank. So he said the only thing that seemed reasonable. "We're wasting time. Err…I'll go start the car while you gather up your stuff."

Dean watched as his brother headed out to the car. "You need any help?" Samuel asked. "No…I can't my own stuff," Dean answered. As Samuel closed the door behind him, Dean had to fight the urge to break into tears. It was all just so screwed up. Why did he have to betray a friend in order to get the real Sammy back? Maybe Lisa was right. He never should have brought Sam back to begin with. If he just let Sam rest in peace, he never would have sold his soul, he never would have gone to Hell, Cas would have never pulled him out, and they wouldn't be in this mess.

Wait...what was he thinking? Could he really have let Sam die? No…of course not! He can't change history. It's like Cas told him, _all roads lead to the same destination_. Sam is Dean's little brother…his responsibility. His duty as an older brother cancels out all "rational" thought. He had to save his little brother then, and he has to do it now. That is his job…to care. One day he would find a way to take better care of Lisa and Ben, but for now his little brother still needed him. Cas would understand. He's strong…maybe things won't be so bad. Crowley will get the information he needs and let Cas go free.

_Yeah right_.

Dean took a few deep breathes to steady himself. He stood up grabbed his _stuff_, as Sam had so elegantly put it, and headed towards the impala. As bad as things seemed, Dean had to believe that things would somehow work out.

* * *

Castiel had felt the presence of the demon Crowley around Dean shortly after he left. Cas did not completely lack common sense. He knew that Dean's distress somehow involved the crossroads demon. If that is even what he was anymore. There had been whispers around the heavens that Crowley was trying to take over Hell. The demon was up to no good, and it appeared that the Winchesters and their grandfather were being pulled along for the ride. He decided he would make inquiries to learn more about Crowley and his recent activities.

A memory popped into Cas' head. _"You don't know Crowley."_ The words had been spoken bitterly by the demon the boys called "Meg." As a soldier, Castiel knew that the enemy of his enemy was his friend. As much as Meg disliked Castiel, he had a feeling the demon hated Crowley even more. Perhaps finding and questioning Meg was a good place to start.

* * *

**Will Meg agree to help? Or will she just make things worse? Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

**As always, Supernatural and its characters belong to Eric Kripke and the CW**

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* * *

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Six hours on the road put them in Columbus, Ohio and placed them half way to their destination. They had been taking care of an angry civil war spirit in Gettysburg, PA when all of this started, and of course Crowley couldn't choose a closer location. "_Stupid Crowley!" _Dean thought.

He was also beginning to think Crowley's choice of meeting place had less to do with its emotional significance and more to do with distracting them with the long drive. Maybe the heavy traffic was Crowley's doing as well. Neither Sam nor Samuel had been able to make heads or tails of any research over the blaring car horns.

Sam checked in with Bobby a few times, but he hadn't managed to find anything else useful either. Sam did, however, remember to ask Bobby to give him the summoning ritual he and Dean used to summon Castiel years before.

"_That's just great! Thanks a lot Sam!_" Dean could not believe how easily his brother could obtain that information without showing any sign of remorse. Dean was doubtful they would even need the ritual, but Sam insisted that it could come in handy. Didn't he even care that they may need to use that ritual to lure Cas into a trap? "_His soul…_" Dean reminded himself, "_he's acting this way because he doesn't have a soul._"

There were still six more hours to go before they reached their destination just outside of Pontiac, IL. Once they were there, they only had 3-4 hours left before they had to "deliver" Castiel to Crowley. Dean wasn't even sure when the 24 hour cont down had started. Knowing Crowley, he started counting down before he had even given them a timeline.

Hopeless. Dean tried to remember a time when he hadn't felt hopeless. That was easy…when he was with Lisa and Ben. Well, he burnt that bridge…there was no way Lisa would want him back now. Dean let out a long exasperated sigh. One thing was for sure...the next 10 hours or so until all of this was over was going to SUCK!

* * *

*_**2 hours later…somewhere in Texas***_

Meg had just finished "playing" with a nice, young farmer when she felt _his_ presence. That angelic-piece-of-crap who ruined everything. Her father, Lucifer, never did look at her the same way after Castiel had thrown her over the holy fire and used her (or at least the body of the girl she was possessing) to escape.

"Well, well, well…you must be lost," she said turning around to face him for the first time since _that_ day.

"Hello Meg," he said to her using that deep, monotone voice that was so uniquely Castiel.

"You'd better be here to apologize," Meg strutted towards him. "You really let a girl down hard." She stops just a couple of feet away from he stands watching her movements unafraid of what she might do. "And here I thought we were making a connect…"

"Silence!" Cas warns. "I have not come here to listen to your incessant monologues." Meg noticeably pouts as Cas continues. "I'm here on business." Meg raises her eyebrows expectantly. "Tell me what you know about the demon Crowley."

"Crowley?" Meg yells. "You're here about Crowley?" She burst into an annoyed fit of laughter. "You give me _this_," she says revealing the horrific scars starting under her chin, continuing down her chest, and beneath her shirt, "and you come here asking me to give you info about that sorry excuse for a demon?"

"Yes," Castiel says simply while giving her his signature, intense stare…the one where his eyes speak volumes without really saying anything at all. "You're distaste for him was just as obvious then as it is now."

Meg huffs and shakes her head at the angel. "Of course I hate Crowley! He does nothing to help our father! He has the nerve to take over his position in Hell…or at least try to. That still doesn't mean I would raise a finger to help you with anything!"

"Any information you offer me could stop him…why not assist in stopping him now before he can go any further?" Castiel asks.

"You'll have to go somewhere else for _assistance_ cloud hopper." Anger is now prominent in her eyes as she moves in even closer. She clearly wants to appear threatening as she adds, "I was _abandoned_ after you RUINED me! I was nothing to Lucifer after what you did. Do you even realize what your "holy fire" does to a demon like me? You did more than just scar this poor little gal's body! You injured _me_…my true form became weak, and now not even the lowest of low demons associates with me. Not to mention, I'm stuck rotting inside this disfigured carcass! So I'll ask you again…WHY WOULD I EVER HELP YOU?"

Castiel tried to suppress the smallest hint of a smile that played on his lips. "You already did." He was gone before Meg could even respond. She stood in stunned silence, unsure of her next move. The angel was most definitely a mystery. She reflected over the strange visit again and again, but she could not figure out just how she managed to give him any useful information.

* * *

*_**Another 3 hours later**_*****

The fire. Not just any fire, but holy fire…created with very special oil. He should have known it would hurt a demon. Castiel made another trip to Jerusalem to get the oil, but this trip was much longer than his last trip to retrieve it. This time he needed to find enough of the oil to fry Crowley up extra crispy. He was hopeful that enough of the fire/oil combination could actually end the demon once and for all.

If only he understood exactly what was going on, then he would be able to come up with course of action. He would have to locate Dean and see if there was anything else he could learn about the situation.

* * *

Samuel shook his head at his two grandsons from the back of the impala. One more hour left until they reached their destination, but Samuel wasn't sure if he would make it. Being in the car with Sam and Dean was incredibly uncomfortable. He couldn't help but wonder if these two were in constant disagreement because Sam didn't have his soul, or if the constant bickering was something common. Either way, Samuel was tired of playing mediator. He needed to get out of this car...although the mission to come was sure not going to help his looming headache. No matter how hard he searched through his books, nothing seemed helpful. One hour from now, he would have to watch as his grandsons betray an angel of the Lord.

* * *

**A.N. Will Cas catch on to everything soon enough to form a plan? Or will Crowley get a hold of him first? Review and let me know what you think!**

**P.S. I don't really remember where Samuel's "hunter headquarters" is located. So we'll just pretend it had been close enough for Sam and Samuel to make a trip there and back to the motel in the previous chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Supernatural and all of its character belong to Eric Kripke and the CW...obviously :-/**

**Anyway...enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

Sam, Dean, and their grandfather had finally made it to their destination with only three hours left before they would be forced to deliver Castiel to Crowley. Dean was gripping the wheel of the impala, looking at the place where he and Cas first met. The place where he was going to betray the angel that had proved, more than once, to be a reliable friend.

"Dean?" Sam finally says. "Are we going to go inside, or are we going to waste the rest of our time sitting here?"

Before Dean could yell at Sam for being so insensitive, Samuel cuts in. "What Sam really means is that we need to decide what our best course of action is going to be."

Dean remains quiet. He is totally at a loss of what he is supposed to do. Why is he doing this again? Why is he giving in to a demon's demands? "_Oh right…this is for Sammy's soul_," Dean reminds himself.

Sam rolls his eyes and shifts impatiently. He huffs, "why don't I start unloading some things from the trunk? I don't know about the two of you, but I'm thinking its best to just get this over with."

Sam gets out of the impala, goes to the trunk, picks out a few items, and heads inside ahead of his brother and grandfather.

"You need to tell me what's in that head of yours son," Samuel says gently. "I get that this isn't going to be easy, but putting this off isn't going to help Cas…or your brother for that matter."

Dean hits the steering wheel and makes his way out of the impala. The door closes with a loud SMACK. Samuel closes his eyes and shakes his head. How is it that his grandsons turned out to be such drama queens? He moves to follow Dean out of the car.

"We're helping Crowley!" Dean exclaims. "We're giving in to what that hell-spawn-son-of-a-bitch wants! And it just so happens that he wants CAS! So excuse me if I'm not rushing into this!" Dean yells at his grandfather.

"We tried Dean. We looked for any way possible to stop this from happening in the short time we were given. Unfortunately, we came up short." Samuel begins to pace beside Dean's classic car. "I mean, if Crowley hadn't told us to keep Castiel in the dark, maybe then we could have found something."

"Yeah…well, he made it perfectly clear that warning Cas would end _really_ bad for Sam." Dean added.

"So…we do our job. We approach this as hunters. Let's face it Dean…we hunters rarely get the _happy endings_ with what we do." He walks over to Dean and puts his hand on his shoulder. "I'm not saying it's fair, but at least we survive. We survive so that we can help all the other people in this pathetic world continue to live to see their _happy after after_." Samuel hopes that his words help, but he also knows there is really nothing he can say to make Dean's guilt go away.

Dean clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath. "Fine…let's just go see if Sam needs any help." With that, Dean grabs a few more weapons (unsure if they will even do any good) and heads toward the barn.

Without another word, Samuel follows Dean inside. They still have a lot of planning to do. They needed to locate Castiel and figure out just how they were going to detain him until Crowley came to collect his "prize."

* * *

Castiel moves out of the shadows. He heard everything Dean and the resurrected Campbell had said. It all made sense now. He begins to put the pieces together, "_That's why Dean was so upset by my last visit. That's why he wanted me to leave…why he was so distressed. The demon Crowley is threatening Sam Winchester so that Dean will betray me…but why? What does he wish to gain?_" He decides it does not matter. This particular demon has most definitely overstayed his welcome. Cas was not going to allow himself to become a victim. Now that he had a better idea of what was happening, he decided he would need to take the demon out as soon (and as painfully) as possible. No demon put his friends through this much emotional turmoil and got away with it!

Cas looks down at the jugs of oil in each of his hands. Now…how was he going to use the holy fire as a weapon against Crowley without hurting himself in the process?

* * *

Inside the barn, Sam was going over _his_ idea on how they should handle their current situation. "We pour the holy oil on the floor, contact Cas and tell him we need his help, talk with him as if everything is somewhat normal. We'll tell him we need his help getting my soul back..."

"...which is true," Dean adds trying to make himself feel a little better.

As Sam continues he begins putting the holy oil in a large circle on the floor of the barn. "We'll have to lure him into the circle, and whoever is closest to it when he enters will light it up."

"Right...because an angel won't see _that_ coming?" Samuel inquires.

"You're right." Sam admits. "We should have multiple areas with oil in the barn. Hey..." Sam looks to his grandfather, "I know the books you brought don't have any useful information on how to stop Crowley, but is there anything written about how to weaken an angel?"

"Seriously Sam?" Dean interrupts. "Please tell me you realize how screwed up you are! Do you even hear yourself?"

Samuel stops his grandson before he can say anything else. "We have to approach this as hunters, Dean...remember?" Dean turns away from both men as Samuel adds, "I doubt there is anything in those books that will help us anyway. Angels are tricky...we'll have to stick with what we already know."

Truth be told, Samuel thought there could be something in his books, but there was no reason to make things any harder on Dean.

"Well...just look at my little worker bees." Crowley taunts as he pops into the barn. The others all share annoyed glances with one another. "I just thought I should drop by and make sure you were still following _my _rules."

"It's not time yet!" Dean points out to the demon.

"So...you thought it would be wise to make me wait until the last minute then, eh? Well, think again lads...it seems to me that you have your trap ready now." Crowley glares at Dean. "I suggest you NOT keep me waiting any longer. I was ready to find purgatory like...YESTERDAY! Chop, Chop boys! Lets go ALREADY! Before I decide to rip Sam's soul APART once and for ALL!" Crowley yells impatiently.

"We have no choice now Dean." Samuel Campbell says. "It's time you give Castiel a call."

Dean hangs his head and takes in a few steadying breaths. "_Damn you Crowley," _Dean thinks. Unfortunately, his grandfather was right. He looked at the others in the room, took one more deep breath, and called to the angel... "CAS! I need you down here!"

* * *

**A.N. Show time! Will Cas take down Crowley, or will the demon get a hold of him first?**

**Be warned...the next chapter may get a little violent...bacause I'm evil like that. **

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! **


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